The 19th Division Commander Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk) In The First World War And Yarçeşme Barracks In Tekirdağ

Abstract

Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk), who applied to the Deputy Commander-inChief while he was serving as an attaché in Sofia to take part in the First World War, the last great war of the Ottoman Empire, was appointed as the Commander of the 19^th Infantry Division with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Lieutenant Colonel Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk), who came to Istanbul from Sofia, came to Tekirdağ in February 1915 to serve as the 19^th Division Command to which he was assigned. He was busy with the establishment of the 19^th Infantry Division between February 2-24, 1915, while he stayed in Tekirdağ. In this process, he tried to eliminate the lack of officers and men, as well as equipment and weapons; He was busy with the maneuvers and drills of the soldiers. He departed from Tekirdağ on February 24, 1915, where he stayed for 22 days, and reached Eceabat on February 25, 1915, together with his headquarters officers and the 57^th Infantry Regiment.

In this article, the activities of Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk) for the establishment of the 19^th Infantry Division during the 22-day period he spent in Tekirdağ in 1915 are discussed; Yarçeşme Barracks, the meeting place and headquarters of the 19^th Infantry Division, are examined. How the 19^th Infantry Division's deficiencies in soldiers and equipment were eliminated, how Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk) re-formed the 57^th Infantry Regiment, which would become famous for its heroism during the Gallipoli Wars, with the initiative of the command, how it set up its headquarters to participate in the Gallipoli Wars, how Mustafa Kemal set out from Tekirdağ with the 57^th Infantry Regiment and the location of Yarçeşme Barracks, the headquarters of the 19^th Infantry Division are evaluated with historical data. In this regard, during the mentioned period, some incorrect or deficient information issues about Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk), the 19^th Infantry Division, the 57^th Infantry Regiment, Tekirdağ and Yarçeşme are aimed to be eliminated by evaluating newly emerging military and official data. It is also aimed to contribute to the biography of Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk), Turkish military history and Tekirdağ’s local history.

In this article, it is suggested that the military interventions of Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk) during his time in Tekirdağ were important both for himself and for Turkish history, and that these interventions can be considered as the strategic first step on the way to the Çanakkale Victory, known as the preface of the Republic of Türkiye.

There is no study that would require the approval of the Ethical Committee in this article.

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